Rapping up the National Hip-Hop Political Convention
Activists Hold Hip-Hop Political Convention
Sat Jun 19, 2004 07:54 PM ET
By Christine Kearney
NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) - Young black Americans -- the "hip-hop generation" -- need to turn their emotional rhetoric into political action, most importantly by voting on Election Day, a gathering of black activists said on Saturday.
The activists were among 3,000 people who met in Newark, New Jersey, for the National Hip-Hop Political Convention, which ended on Saturday. Their mission: educate, motivate and unite young black Americans so they can elect more black politicians.
Bakari Kitwana, 37, author and co-founder of the convention, defined the "hip-hop generation" as blacks born between 1965 and 1984, but said it extends to anyone who listens to hip-hop music.
Through a series of workshops -- including "How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office," "Why Vote: Voices on the Criminal Justice System," and "Why We Don't Have Any Money: Reparations, Gentrification and Your Bad-A-- Credit" -- the grass-roots meeting also tried to develop a political agenda for the hip-hop generation and identify potential leaders.
Organizers did not officially endorse specific candidates.
"Eminem's first album sold 1.7 million in the first week. ... We want to take those numbers and consumers and translate them into a concrete, identifiable voting block ... that cuts across race, class, age and sexual orientation," Kitwana said.
